Brothers Dearest
by Brenna Snow
Summary: Mephisto contemplates the future of his brotherly relationship with Rin and Yukio, but Amaimon has a way of being a distraction.


**Brothers Dearest**

The sound of a spinning hamster wheel serves at the background noise for Mephisto Pheles as he finishes his paperwork for the evening. Glancing at the cage on his desk, he sees Amaimon running as fast as his little legs will go. Setting down his pen, Mephisto places the last form in a folder and makes it disappear with a snap of his fingers. Amaimon stops running and stares up at him, his beady eyes as vacant as ever. "Are you done yet?"

"Yes, and since you have behaved so well today," says Mephisto, "I will let you run about for the rest of the evening."

"Really?" squeaks Amaimon, running in circles once Mephisto brings out a bright pink hamster ball from the desk drawer. "Yay!"

Within moments Amaimon is rolling around the office and Mephisto is peering out the window, looking upon his precious school. The moon is out and his thoughts drift towards Rin and Yukio Okumura and what they could be doing at this hour. If he has to fathom a guess, Yukio, hardworking as always, is doing his high school assignments or planning for cram school lessons while Rin, on the other hand, is asleep. They are both rather predictable.

The two brothers, despite their differences, have always been quite close. It almost makes Mephisto wish that he had been able to spend time with them when they were young. Shiro Fujimoto had sent photos of the boys, highlighting their lives with the pride only a parent could have. The twins were once adorable children, Mephisto has to admit.

The memory of these happier times reminds Mephisto of questions he has been trying to dismiss ever since the night Satan possessed Shiro and changed Rin and Yukio's lives forever. What would it have been like to see his half-brothers grow up as humans do and become the people they are today? Would it have been better to tell them both of their demonic heritage so they could together learn how to protect themselves if Satan caught wind of their existence? Should he have allowed Shiro to hope that his sons would have normal lives? As much as Mephisto dislikes dwelling on the past, he cannot deny that his friend's dearest wish was tragically in vain.

"You are gone, my friend," mutters Mephisto, "and I am the one you chose to watch over them. All I can do is assure that they have everything they need...but I cannot tell them about who I am or what they mean to me. Not yet."

Before Rin and Yukio were born, Mephisto cared little for familial relationships and only strengthened these bonds when it suited him. Amaimon is the only example of a close relative that the King of Time has and it is only because the King of Earth is the weakest of the Baal and receives protection and support in exchange for loyalty. However, Mephisto notes with a smile, even that relationship is changing.

Amaimon has taken an interest in Japan and the entertainment the nation provides. He is slowly understanding that humans can be interesting. The only thing in the way of him fully embracing humans and their creativity is his hatred for Rin, although Mephisto is working on deterring Amaimon's need for revenge. It is rather difficult to be angry at anything when you are a hamster.

If Amaimon can eventually learn to accept humanity, then maybe Rin and Yukio will be able to accept Mephisto as part of their family in the future... It would take time, but Mephisto can wait.

A dull _thud_ suddenly distracts Mephisto from his musings. Looking around, he sees that Amaimon has managed to get his hamster ball stuck beneath the couch and cannot get out. Sighing, Mephisto says, "How many times have I told you that you cannot fit under there?" He glances out the window one last time before freeing his brother from the furniture.

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hello, everyone! I've left this story as nothing more than a word document with only the title written at the top for far too long. It turned out differently than I originally expected, but I'm quite happy with it.

FYI, this story is based on the anime more than the manga, as you can tell by Amaimon being a hamster and Mephisto's true identity remaining unknown to the Okumura twins. Or maybe Yukio knows and just hasn't told Rin. Either way, I needed a cute way to begin and end the story, so Amaimon as a hamster it was.

Also, I'm thinking of writing another Mephisto-centric story that will focus on his position as the King of Time and his views on the past, present, and future. It will be titled "Nostalgia and Zeitgeist." Hopefully it will turn out well. And, please, if you're interested, check out my profile for more Blue Exorcist stories I have written or future plans for stories I want to write.

If you see any typos, awkward sentences, or other grammatical things I may have missed, let me know. Feedback is greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading!

Cheers,  
Brenna Snow


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